The Alex Years: Winter CSA ’12 ” Delivery #4 – Last Box

When we first met Alex, it was late summer 2009. I was pregnant with Zea. At the time he was doing an internship at Michael Field’s Agricultural Institute ” the same place Mike did his training. His boss, Janet, contacted us to see if Alex could come work for us for a week as part of his internship. Sure thing. She said Alex reminded her of Mike ” young, smart, hard-working, and intent on starting his own farm. She thought it would be a good match for Alex to see a working farm started by an internship €œgrad€. After a week of his working here, Mike and I knew we would be lucky to have Alex come work for us.

And lucky we have been. This week, Alex will finish his third season on our farm. He has worked diligently for us, working the most hours of any of our employees and taking on the most responsibility. As he prepares to leave for Utah, it’s impossible not to reflect back on the period of our lives that he shared with us.

We’ve been through a lot of change as a business and a family since Alex came. His first full season, 2010, the majority of our operation was still based at the Pioneer Road fields. Zea spent the summer on my back. I changed each of Zea’s diapers in the hatch of our car that year, as we were living and farming in separate locations. We trialed a few crops at what is now our home farm on County J and financed our new pack shed here. I have sweet memories of Alex patting Zea’s head as she tried helping the crew break garlic seed that year. She had just learned to walk.

In 2011, we moved our operation to our home farm on County J. That year the barn was re-sided and the tractor shop added on. Alex came on for his 2nd season. We thought we’d be saying goodbye to him at the end of that season as he was thinking of moving to Georgia to start farming. We were delighted when we found out he’d be coming back for a third year. In the winter of 2012, Alex was one of the first people who knew about our 2nd pregnancy. We knew I wouldn’t be able to do as much, and so we asked Alex to take on some of my work. And outside of family, Alex was one of the first people to meet our 2nd child, Edie.

All of this chronicling is a way of saying Alex has been an integral part of our lives these past few years, as farming and family get all intertwined. When we remember back to these years, no doubt Alex will be part of many of those memories.

And thank you ” our winter members ” for another wonderful season as well. Through you, vegetables create a roof over our head and presents for kids under the tree. Thank you for your support of our family. Happy holidays to you all!